Category: War Machine

Also known as the balancing Trabuco, Trabuco is an antique war machine that was used by soldiers in firing projectiles and bringing down masonry walls. In some regions of Brazil, Portugal, and France, the Trabuco is often to refer to revolvers and old short guns. The ancient war machine works using principles similar to those of a catapult. To make it a highly efficient device, a Trabuco is a launch at a high speed causing an immense destruction of the target. Armies used the war machine throw ammunitions over barricades inflicting massive injuries to their enemies. All through the European Crusades, the Trabuco was vastly used to destroy those against Christian religious actions.

How the Trabuco Works

The Trabuco works through a mechanism that converts potential energy contained in the string to kinetic energy that produces power. Since some of the energy is lost through the heat in the system as well as via friction, the system is not a hundred percent efficient. The projectile speed is directly relative to the mass used. The war machine features five parts namely the beam, the frame, counterweight, sling and guide chute. According to pt.bab.la, physical calculations of potential gravitational, kinetic energy and inherent differences are directly related to the overall functioning of the Trabuco. As a result, many physics teachers use the Trabuco in explaining physical principles.

History of Trabuco

Trabuco history goes back to 400 DC according to priberam.pt, a time when the Chinese were launching many attacks amongst themselves. It later became so popular in Europe where it was the dominant tool used in wars for many years till the emergence of gunpowder. The machine was initially made to carry extra weight hence more destruction. As time passed, the Trabuco continued to evolve from the tensile Trabuco to more developed models. Nevertheless, due to hard-to-build features and poor coordination, the number of tensile Trabucos was significantly low. As a result of such problems, the weapon was abandoned in the eleventh century.

Types of Trabuco

The war machine comes in two forms, the tensile and the hybrid Trabuco based on pt.wikipedia.org. The former is entirely operated by people pulling the ends in synchrony and can hurl weights of between 140 pounds and a distance of about eighty meters. On the other hand, the hybrid form of the same can heave loads of up to four hundred meters and a length of three hundred meters. Although the machines are not available today, they can be built at a low cost.